The Price Is Right’s Rich Fields

‘I’m not wasting another moment in my life’

by Laura Shipp

You may not know his name.
You might not be able to pick
out his face in a crowd. But
his voice? You’d recognize it anywhere:
“Come on down! You’re the next contestant
on The Price Is Right!” For the
past six years, Rich Fields has been the
voice of the long-running game show
made popular by Bob Barker and now
helmed by comedian Drew Carey.

In March 2004, after a three-year
stint as an on-air meteorologist in
Southern California, Rich was hand
selected by Bob Barker to be the new
announcer of The Price is Right, succeeding
Rod Roddy. Five years later,
he was named “Best Game Show Announcer”
for his work on the show.

“It was a lifelong dream come true,”
Rich says of the announcing gig in an
interview with Coping® magazine. “My
mom has videotapes of me at ten years
old standing in front of the TV holding
her black hairbrush like a microphone
saying, ‘It’s a new car!’ I wanted to do
it all my life.”

“It seems like everyone has
a Price Is Right story when
I talk to them. They were
on the show, or they know
somebody who was on it.
Since I’ve come out about
my cancer, I’ve found that
everyone has a cancer
story, as well. Everyone.”

If there’s one word that describes
Rich, it’s dedicated. His steadfast character
was shaped at a young age by a
battle with cancer that he has only recently
spoken about publicly. As a young
adult attending college at the University
of Florida in Gainesville, Rich was
diagnosed with testicular cancer and,
subsequently, cancer of the lower
lymphatic system. Both were treated
successfully; however, the experience
left a lasting mark.

"Spin that wheel!" Announcer Rich Fields, host Drew Carey, and the Price Is Right models
spin the big wheel on the set of The Price Is Right.

“It was the first time anyone had
ever said the word cancer to me,” Rich
reveals. “I was young. I was alone
at college. It was my worst fear
come true.”

Though it wasn’t exactly an easy
road, looking back Rich can see how
cancer was a catalyst in his life. He
recalls a defining moment just before
his second surgery: “I was lying in the
hallway on a gurney getting ready to go
into the operating room. It was 5:30
in the morning. My toes were freezing.
My hands were freezing. And I
remember thinking, I’m not wasting
another moment in my life. If there is
something I want to do, if there is something
I want to say to somebody, I’m
going to do it. I’m not going to waste
another minute. And you know what?
I believe now at age 49 I didn’t waste
any time from then to now. I had tunnel
vision from then on. I sunk myself
into achieving the goals that I wanted
to achieve.”

One of those goals was working with
legendary host Bob Barker on The Price
Is Right. Check.

Now that his tenure on The Price Is
Right is ending (he won’t be returning
for the show’s 39th season this fall),
Rich says he has set new goals for
himself. But he’s not ready to reveal
them just yet.

One thing he will talk about, however,
is his desire to see a cure for cancer.
“I wish we could kill this disease and
get rid of it once and for all,” Rich
stresses. “This country wastes so much
money on frivolous things. We could
save millions of lives all over the world
if we could just figure this one thing out.”